Many parts used in small personal appliances, such as skin formulation applicators, are made by casting methods using a mold/fixture. It is important to control the cost of the cast parts to ensure product success in the marketplace. The cost of the mold and the details of the casting process are both important in controlling costs. The casting process can be slow and requires a large quantity of mold cavities, which are generally expensive, in order to meet high volume manufacturing requirements. In addition, problems may be encountered in removing cast parts from the fixtures, especially low durometer silicone parts. Further, the silicone parts can often be tacky after they have been removed from the cavity, requiring special handling techniques to ensure that the parts remain clean when they are provided to the user for replacement of existing parts. Still further, parts comprising low durometer silicone are difficult to attach directly to other elements, such as a drive end of a motor, after they have been cured and otherwise ready for use.
Hence, there is a need for both a casting fixture and a method of casting particular parts which are used in skin formulation applicators, to reliably produce clean parts inexpensively and to firmly affix the parts to a companion part during the casting process to produce a desired combination/assembly for the applicator.